Auto Club 400

Sunday at Phoenix was slightly more exciting than Atlanta. Tempers only flared in qualifying with a fight breaking out between Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell. Besides this throughout the race, the goodyear tires didn’t seem to last as long as some may have thought. Many crashes of one car spin outs came from cut down tires. Also, at the very end, gas mileage came into play as Ryan Blaney couldn’t fully finish the race by two laps while also maintaining the lead. Kyle Busch snatched it from Blaney in the end.

This race is the last day of the west coast swing. California is the home of many of the top series drivers, Jimmie Johnson being one of them. He’s really a beast here, but so are others that are young and upcoming. Here are the drivers to watch out for while ending the west coast swing in California.

Jimmie Johnson –

You may see him as a dying out veteran driver with his age creeping up on him. He showed what may be soon to come from his stronger finish at Phoenix. Johnson has six wins under him overall at Auto Club, this particular race only three. He’s also got many top-tens and top-fives during his career. He probably won’t win, but there’s always a chance for his winless streak to break.

Kyle Larson –

His literal nickname is “California Kid,” possibly because he was born in California and is called the next Jeff Gordon, as he followed Gordon’s footsteps to get to NASCAR. He has a mass number of runner up finishes at California and has won Auto Club in the Xfinity series. Watch for Larson to pull into victory lane for the first time since 2017.

Martin Truex Jr. –

If you don’t want to pick Kyle Busch anytime soon, go with Truex Jr. He’s been one of the top Toyota drivers this year with the new package. He may not have the same speed in his new ride with Joe Gibbs Racing compared to the Penske Fords. Never look for him to give up as he has truly worked for his way to the NASCAR premier series. Pay attention to this driver throughout the day to make some moves.

Ryan Blaney –

This driver ran strong at Phoenix and almost won the race, but he didn’t have enough gas to push strong. He’ll learn from this information and regain the streak of top-tens he’s gotten at Auto Club. He’s also part of the Penske organization, being one of the teams that others aim to beat this year. This young driver is also starting to battle the veterans for wins. Look for him to be near the front for most of the race.

Standings:

Tina: 15

Owen M: 15

Marshall: 15

Owen S: 13

( +5 to closest winner, +4 to second closests, etc. and +1 for if pick wins stage)